How to Buy the Right Wallpaper

You've decided to be adventurous and wallpaper your walls, but the choices are overwhelming. What look are you after? How do you find the best wallpaper to meet your decorating style, needs and budget?

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Chart a decorating course based on your furniture, carpet, curtains, art and collections. Decide which colors, motifs or other elements you want to enhance or unify.

2. Measure your room and sketch a detailed floor plan, including doors, windows and other permanent features. Plot wall height minus baseboards and moldings, then measure the length of each wall segment. Round up measurements to the next foot. To find square footage, multiply room height by circumference, then subtract openings you won't be papering. (It's always better to buy too much than too little and be stuck in the middle of your project.)

3. Take your notes along with paint, carpet and fabric samples to wallpaper dealers, home centers or home decor retailers. Sign out sample books to see how the paper looks in your home.

4. Take the stress out of blending paper and border designs with manufacturer's swatch books. Pick bold patterns for large rooms full of activity or for rooms used briefly or only occasionally--a hall, powder room or formal dining room. Select neutral, smaller patterns for a family room, bedroom or home office.

5. Diminish architectural flaws. Stripes accentuate crooked walls. Choose a forgiving floral or intricate pattern to disguise cracked or uneven walls or mask an awkward room shape. Apply liner paper first over bricks, concrete blocks or paneling.

6. Pay attention to the repeat (the vertical match between adjoining sheets of paper). Large repeats require that you cut larger pieces to match patterns when hanging. If walls are fragmented--in a kitchen, say--opt for a smaller repeat.

7. Choose vinyl or vinyl-coated paper for a kitchen, bathroom, child's room or anywhere you need a durable, easy-to-clean surface. Vinyls tend to cost less than papers, generally $9 to $35 per single roll or spool.

8. Choose paper wallpaper for a living room, dining room or other light-use area. More delicate than vinyl, paper adheres well but can tear when wet. Prices vary for machine-printed, decorator hand-blocked and silk-screened types (up to $90 per single roll).

9. Place your order. Paper is priced by the single roll but sold in double rolls (about 56 square feet or 5 square meters); most borders are sold in 5-yard (4.6-m) spools. Using your measurements, a salesperson will calculate how much to order. Buy all the rolls you need at once to assure uniform run or dye-lot numbers.

Tips & Warnings

• Wallpaper displays can be daunting, but you'll often find books sorted by style or room via a colored-dot or other marking system. Some books contain only borders.
• Buy an extra roll to repair damaged areas in the future. Use trimmings to line drawers and decorate lamp shades or storage boxes.
• Choose foil-faced paper, paintable embossed paper or grass cloth for dramatic effects. Hang wallpaper of trompe l'oeil moldings or columns for instant architectural elements.
• Make sure the adhesion method required is suitable for your skill level. Most papers arrive prepasted-- just wetting them makes them stick--but you must paste some papers (often imported or designer brands) before hanging. Some borders and wall decals are self-sticking.
• If you do not have solid wallpapering skills, hire a professional to do the work for you. You'll save money (no botched up rooms to redo), frustration and time.

[abeautifulwall]

on 11/4/2009 Great article! If you need help and u live in San Diego, give me a call at 619-972-6298 or visit us at www.wallpaperingsandiego.blogspot.com